Sunday, April 5, 2015

Music News

Happy Spring! Below you can find a summary of what students
are learning in high school music classes.
You can also read about our upcoming Competition Trip, Tri-M activities
with elementary and middle school music students, our spring events schedule,
and registration info for Summer Band Camp!
Info on special workshops for Chorus and Select Chorus and Concert
Band’s recent participation in the MICCA Festival can also be found below.Scott Halliganshalligan@mohawkschools.org

What’s Happening in the Music Room?

Here is a summary of what
Mohawk Music students are currently working on:

Concert Band students are reflecting on their recent experience at the
MICCA Festival, listening to their performance recording and studying written
comments provided by adjudicators. Based
on this feedback, students will make adjustments to their playing in
preparation for the Worldstrides Heritage Performance Festival and Competition
in Williamsburg, Virginia (details below).

Both Concert Chorus and Select Chorus are going through a similar process, reviewing
judges’ comments from performances last year and making adjustments to prepare
for the upcoming competition. Next week,
all singers in both groups will have vocal workshops with Shelley Roberts (more
info below).

Students in Strings Class are developing music
literacy skills, sight-reading classical music in traditional notation and rock
and pop music from lead sheets.

Jazz Band students are transferring their knowledge about jazz
improvisation from their primary instruments to their secondary
instruments. They are also making
fantastic progress on “A Night in Tunisia.”

Virginia Trip!Mohawk Music’s trip to
Williamsburg, Virginia for the Worldstrides Heritage Performance Competition is
right around the corner! The Mohawk High
School Concert Band, Concert Chorus, and Select Chorus are all poised to have
very strong performances.

Please note: Students participating in the trip will be bringing home a
packet of information next week. The
packet will include an itinerary, contact information, a code of conduct, a
packing list, a medical form, and a permission slip. All information will also be posted on myclass pages early next week. Please review these items carefully and
contact me immediately with any concerns.

Spring Events – mark your calendars!Mohawk Music students are
bringing home information about Mohawk Music events for the remainder of the
year. The info is also available here.
Parents, please read the information carefully, note the requirements
for attire, mark your calendars, sign and return asap!

Mohawk Warriors Band Camp – August 10-14, 8:00 am-noonThis summer, concert band
students entering grades 9-12 are welcome to sign up for a week of Band
Camp! Students will receive registration
forms next week. The registration form
and additional information is also availablehere.Who: Mohawk Band Members
entering grades 9-12What: Band Camp!When: August 10-14, 8:00 am-noonWhere: Mohawk High SchoolWhy: To develop
musicianship, basic marching skills, and esprit de corps!Details: At this camp, Students will focus on building
instrumental music skills, marching band basics, and developing esprit de
corps. The week will be structured
around team-building activities, Marching Band practice, and a series of
workshops and activities on specific skills: Marching Basics; Musicianship;
Jazz Improvisation; Battery Percussion; and Performance. Open to novices and experienced
instrumentalists entering grades 9-12.Day 1 – Welcome, Team
Building, Marching BasicsDay 2 – Team Building,
Marching Practice, Musicianship 101Day 3 – Team Building,
Marching Practice, Jazz ImprovisationDay 4 – Team Building,
Marching Practice, Battery PercussionDay 5 – Team Building,
Informal Performance, Picnic LunchCost: $100 per studentStudents who qualify for
reduced lunch: $50Students who qualify for
free lunch: $0

Tri-M ActivitiesTri-M members will be
volunteering in next week’s Kids in Concert band rehearsal at Mohawk High
School. The following week, Tri-M will
be hosting a step-up day for 8th grade singers and instrumentalists,
inviting them into High School Band and Chorus classes and leading a variety of
activities to connect Middle School Music and High School Music!

Mary Lyon Foundation Mini-Grant: Vocal WorkshopsThanks to a Mary Lyon
Foundation Mini-Grant, members of both Concert Chorus and Select Chorus will be
working with soprano Shelley Roberts next week in a series of vocal
workshops! Singers are studying “With
Drooping Wings,” the haunting and tragic conclusion to Henry Purcell’s 1688
opera Dido and Aeneas. In order to meet the challenges in this
piece, our singers will learn special vocal techniques and performances
practices with Ms. Roberts – the same Shelley Roberts who directed last year’s
“Wizard of Oz” and this year’s “Seussical”!
Incidentally, Ms. Roberts is a Mohawk alumni and a graduate of
Westminster Choir College.

Concert Band at the MICCA Festival – March 28Last weekend, Concert Band
participated for the first time in the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral
Conductors Association (MICCA) Festival.
The MICCA Festival has very
high standards, and our band received a very respectable Bronze Award! At the festival, which took place at Belchertown High
School on Saturday, March 28, the band’s performance was followed by an informative
30 minute clinic with one of the judges. Students in Concert Band will be
listening to a recording of their performance and read the adjudicators’
comments and suggestions for improvement.
This is a very important formative assessment for Concert Band, and we
look forward to the opportunity to receive critical feedback as we aspire to
higher levels of performance.

Middle
School Music News from Ms. Glover

Upcoming Performances Information:Hello – we have quite a busy spring ahead of us! The
following is an overview of all of the remaining performances for the year
including dates, times, and what your child will need for each performance.

Saturday
May 2nd: Music in the Parks 6Flags
NewEngland: Band and Chorus6:30a.m. - meet at Mohawk7:00 – depart8:00 – warm up & performances Holyoke HS12:00 – 6 Flags arrival5:00 – dinner together & awards9:00 – depart 6 Flags10:00p.m. – arrive at MohawkStudents will need: Permission slip, instrument,
music, concert dress, money for one meal (or they may bring a lunch to eat on
the bus), money for drinks or souvenirs.(Information has gone home already, permission slip
is attached. $45 due: checks made out to Mohawk)

Sunday May
3rd: Mary Lyon “Lyonnaise” performance: Chorus and 8th
grade Band only3:30p.m. – arrival at Shelburne/Buckland Community
center4:00 - 4:30 – performanceStudents will need: Instrument, music and concert
dress**we will be meeting at the community center 53 Main
st. Shelburne Falls, Ma

Monday May
25th: Memorial Day Parade: West Branch Cemetery: Colrain: Band only9:00a.m. – arrival at West Branch9:30 a.m. – parade and ceremony10:30.m. – pick up at cemeteryStudents will need: a ride to West Branch,
instrument, music**Dress is as follows: Black pants/shoes, white polo
shirt

Monday
June 8th & Thursday June 11th: Elementary School
Performances: Band and Chorus

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